Goku's Breakthrough

And so, the game of cat and mouse between Wuchen and Korin continued until nightfall.

Having learned about the path of cultivation and its fundamental methods, Korin displayed immense interest.

However, he did not attempt it immediately; he went straight to sleep when the time came, arranged a place for Wuchen to rest, and gave him a bean for dinner.

Wuchen, however, could not sleep, nor did he eat the bean, for Goku had not yet finished; he remained seated in meditation, motionless.

"By tomorrow morning, Goku should be able to break through." Sitting down not far from Goku, Wuchen stood guard for him.

Of course, he was not worried about Goku being disturbed, but rather that something might go wrong with his cultivation. By now, Goku had grasped four attributes: water, fire, wood, and earth.

Although these four attributes followed a cycle of generation and restriction, one link was ultimately missing, requiring caution.

Yet, Wuchen had underestimated Goku after all.

Within Goku's Consciousness Realm, three Origin Souls—one large and two small—coexisted quite harmoniously.

The two smaller ones, one black and one green, were the water and wood attribute Origin Souls, respectively.

The slightly larger one, red in color, was the Mother Soul that had initially been imbued with fire.

The Mother Soul was divided into inner and outer layers, with a yellowish core currently gestating the heavy earth.

Earth and fire generate each other but also restrict one another, requiring a delicate balance.

While fire can generate earth, too much earth dims the fire, and too much fire scorches the earth. At this moment, Goku was using strong fire to generate weak earth, raising the concern of "fire scorching the earth."

Therefore, Goku used strong water to weaken the fire, then used weak water to nourish the weak earth.

At the same time, he needed to drive the wood to assist the fire, using its embers to strengthen the earth. The scale of this process was not easy to control.

Though Goku was innocent and naive, he was by no means a mediocre talent, and with Wuchen's long-term guidance, he was proceeding in an orderly fashion, maintaining an excellent balance between the various attributes.

One could see the earth within the fire: first moistened, then dried, then moistened and dried again, gradually growing stronger until it completely occupied the core of the Mother Soul.

Then, the Mother Soul developed cracks, and as they split, a brand-new Origin Soul "hatched"—pale yellow in color, the newly born Earth Soul.

The fire-attributed Mother Soul gradually recovered, though its core was now hollow. It would need to condense essence and gather soul energy to replenish its heart. Only then could it be imbued with new power and condense a new soul.

Of course, this was not a task for a single day, but Goku had completed his breakthrough, advancing to the fourth level of Soul Condensation!

Ending his stance, Goku slowly opened his eyes as a ray of sunlight shone onto his knees from outside the round window. Yes, it was already the next day.

"Goku, well done." Wuchen immediately stepped forward, pressed two fingers against Goku's forehead, and after a brief sensing, beamed with joy.

"Big Brother, I broke through!" Goku was also incredibly happy, though he still had some doubts: "But Big Brother, my realm seems very unstable, and my origin power is difficult to control. The situation is much more severe than my previous breakthroughs."

"Do not worry, this is normal. You currently possess four souls, but you still lack metal to complete the cycle of the five elements."

"Furthermore, you have just broken through. Even among these four attributes—fire, water, wood, and earth—the strengths differ, making the balance of generation and restriction difficult to maintain."

"As long as you proceed steadily, there will be no problem. However, for your next Origin Soul, you must imbue it with the metal attribute. Once you gather all five elements, you can use the five-element souls as a foundation to complete the 'Seal Consciousness.' Your Consciousness Realm will then stabilize, and things will be much safer afterward."

"Yes, Big Brother, I understand." Goku's concerns were dispelled, and he was filled with excitement.

Korin also showed deep curiosity; although he did not fully understand, it did not prevent him from sensing the mysterious aura that Goku had yet to retract.

This feeling was completely different from ki. He could not help but recall the special cultivation Wuchen had mentioned yesterday.

"Is this what you called spiritual energy?" Thus, Korin asked Wuchen.

"Who are you?" Goku finally noticed his surroundings and the presence of Korin.

"Goku, this is Korin, and we are at the top of Korin Tower. It is thanks to Korin letting us stay that you were able to break through in peace." Wuchen spoke at the right moment.

He also joined Goku in expressing his gratitude to Korin.

Then, building on yesterday's casual conversation, he further popularized the knowledge of cultivation to Korin: "This is slightly different from spiritual energy... Goku, myself, and Master Roshi, the three of us all..."

In the midst of his explanation, Wuchen inadvertently tossed the bean he was holding into his mouth—the very dinner Korin had given him last night.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Must say, this bean was quite crispy, suitable as a snack.

Wuchen chewed it casually and swallowed it down. Gulp.

However, the moment the bean hit his stomach, it instantly expanded.

"Hiccup!" Subconsciously covering his mouth, Wuchen could hardly believe it.

He had indeed been a bit hungry, which was why he had eaten the bean without thinking.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the tiny bean hit his stomach, he was full—no, stuffed. The nutrients his body required seemed to have been concentrated into that bean!

Not only that, he felt his physical strength replenished, and his body state reached its peak!

Yes, in just an instant! This bean was far too easy to digest.

The only pity was that this bean did not seem to restore spiritual energy or origin power.

"Korin, this bean, it..." It was not that Wuchen was ignorant; he had seen plenty of spiritual elixirs and treasures for healing or recovery, and there were certainly some with better effects than this bean.

But he had clearly seen Korin take this bean from a jar last night, and that jar was filled to the brim!

"How is it? Not bad, right? That thing is called a Senzu Bean. Eat one, and you won't need to eat for ten days, meow~"

Korin looked somewhat smug; these Senzu Beans were something only he possessed, and they could not be found anywhere else.

"Hmm, quite impressive. But does it also have healing properties?"

"Indeed. No matter the injury, a single bean will restore you instantly and leave you feeling fully revitalized." As he spoke, Korin tossed a Senzu Bean toward Goku.

"Hic!" Swallowing it in one gulp, Goku let out a satisfied burp in response. "I'm so full! Hic!"

"Korin, I was wondering if..." Wuchen hesitated, his words trailing off. He wanted to ask for some to study, but he felt too embarrassed to bring it up.

"Here." Seeming to sense Wuchen's desire, Korin stood up, opened the cabinet by his bed, and handed a sealed jar directly to Wuchen.

Inside the cabinet, there were still two or three jars left.

"This... thank you, Master." Taking the jar, Wuchen was shocked by its surprising weight.

Based on the weight standards of this world, the jar and the Senzu Beans together weighed over six pounds, meaning there were at least five pounds of beans inside!

"It's nothing. Although Senzu Beans are difficult to grow, I've managed to stockpile quite a few over the last few hundred years, meow."

Korin waved his hand—or rather, his paw—dismissively, then added, "Continue, continue. How exactly does one open up that space inside the mind?"

"The Consciousness Realm is..."

And just like that, Wuchen successfully recruited Korin into the ranks of the immortal cultivators. It was highly likely that he would soon become a new source of spiritual energy production.

And undoubtedly, one with an incredibly high work efficiency.